Laffita signed with the Tigers for $250,000, an amount that will count against the team's international bonus pool. Detroit had previously spent around $1.7 million of their $2,056,200 bonus pool, so Laffita fits within their allowance. He has been showcasing for more than a year, standing out for his speed, but he still is raw all-around. A 6-foot-1, 200-pound righthanded hitter, Laffita spent the 2015 season with Laguna of the Mexican League, where he hit .280/.345/.360 with three walks and six strikeouts in 23 games. He has good bat speed and hand-eye coordination, but he's a free-swinger whose plate discipline will have to improve. He also committed eight errors at shortstop and will almost certainly move to another position. He projecdts better in center field or possibly second base.

The Astros signed 21-year-old Cuban righthander Carlos Sierra, and because he’s not yet 23, he is subject to Houston’s international bonus pool. Because his grandfather has roots in Spain, Sierra, who made 26 relief appearances in two seasons in Serie Nacional, was able to establish residency outside of Cuba in order to leave the island legally.

Righthanded-hitting third baseman Jefry Marte quietly enjoyed a fine 2015 season as a lefty masher. As a member of the Tigers, the 24-year-old recorded a .920 OPS against big league lefthanders and a 1.096 mark at Triple-A Toledo. While the price was right for the Angels to speculate on Marte’s continued proficiency versus southpaws, he might not have much opportunity to show off his skills in Anaheim, because the club has righty-hitting starters at third base (Yunel Escobar) and first base/DH (Albert Pujols, C.J. Cron).

The Phillies signed lefthander Evan Crower, a former backup quarterback at Stanford, after watching him work out in the California Winter League. The 6-foot-5 lefty reportedly hit the mid-90s that day.

“I’ve always wanted to be a baseball player growing up,” Crower is quoted as saying in this piece by The Desert Sun. “I was going into Stanford playing both sports and it just didn’t work out. I was going to head somewhere else for my fifth year, and just decided to pick up the baseball and start throwing again after I graduated.”

The Padres neglected to call up Triple-A El Paso right fielder Rymer Liriano in September, sending a loud signal that his future prospects with the organization were dim. When San Diego signed shortstop Alexei Ramirez, they designated Liriano for assignment, thus taking the natural next step. They found a trade partner with the Brewers, acquiring Double-A lefthanded reliever Trevor Seidenberger.

Liriano seemed to be in the wrong organization at the wrong time these past few seasons. Not only do the big league Padres already have two righthanded-hitting corner outfielders in Matt Kemp and Wil Myers, but the system’s top prospect is Hunter Renfroe, a righthanded slugger and 2013 first-round pick, and they selected the Mariners’ Jabari Blash in the Rule 5 draft in December.

Moreira left the Cuban team traveling to Puerto Rico last year at the Caribbean Series. He's an organizational player who's the equivalent of a typical minor league free agent, with his double-plus speed his best tool. Beyond his wheels, Moreira's skill set is limited. He's a righthanded hitter with a funky, choppy swing that produces no power, and he doesn't walk much. In his final season (2014-15) in Serie Nacional, he hit .332/.397/.368 in 277 plate appearances with no home runs, 19 walks and 11 strikeouts, and despite his speed, he stole just five bases in 10 attempts. His defense might also be stretched at shortstop, though he could fill in there at the minor league level.

The Rays hired Charlie Haeger as a pitching coordinator, and, as correspondent Marc Topkin notes, the veteran knuckleballer will have at least one obvious pupil: recent minor league free agent signee Eddie Gamboa. Haeger spent parts of five seasons in the majors with the White Sox, Padres and Dodgers, and now will impart his wisdom on former Orioles prospect Gamboa, a 31-year-old who picked up the knuckleball in 2013.